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I first stumbled upon O-Venture perusing thru my instagram account. Something about the bold colors and the small yet bold accent strip grabbed me. Per usual, I gravitated towards the Tickle me Pink Big O key ring. I was intrigued to learn how these two mothers and friends came up with such a fun and useful idea.

Janie and Caroline, the brains behind these beauties brainstormed to see just what exactly would help busy moms and women in general with their daily activities. The answer was literally right in front of them. Every single one of us has a set of keys, and sometimes duel sets. I have my personal keys, and then a set of office keys too. We are required to carry our office keys and swipe keys when moving through our building. It really is a must since we have certain locked doors in the building that require a swipe card. I cannot tell you the number of times myself, or a co worker has set her keys down in a secure room and walked off only to retrace her steps to find them. So, the idea to carry my keys not only with me, but a place for my swipe cards as well was a perfect match for me and O-Venture!! The biggest question Janie and Caroline sat down with was "How can we make women's lives easier?"... I think they answered their question with the O-Venture.

The office isn't the only place they come in handy. With stadiums regulating the size of your bag you carry in, now you may slip your essentials in an Ossential card case. Available in two sizes. Below I show you the size difference in the two. My orange Ossential is able to hold a lipstick, cards and ID, and if you haven't upgraded to the iPhone 6 your 5s will fit in nicely. My blue Ossential is a great size for business cards at a workshop, or trade show ready at your finger tips to share. You can carry it on vacation with your keycard and ID, or maybe even a concert. Joe got tickets for us to see Dave Matthews Band this summer and I will be using my Ossential for sure at the concert. Both sizes come with a keyring to attach to your Big"O" keyring and the keyring is valet ready with a sturdy quick release latch too.

Do you have a feel good color? You know.... the color that when you put it on you just radiate? You know of course by now pink is my favorite. I'm so in love with the bold pink and these pants???? It's like I am wearing silk PJ's. I kept referring to them all day as my Hugh Hefner pants! HA! The most comfortable pair and colors....well you can take your pick at what to match them up with. Of course I was going with pink, but the blues, and even purples if you like that color are vibrant!

Nothing goes better with a bright pink top than bold pink lips! The sun was bright this day as you can tell by my shadows. If you haven't noticed lately, My Blair Ritchey PAK is my favorite go to bag. It is so versatile with a detachable shoulder strap and I love the size. It is bigger than an evening clutch.... but smaller than a conventional cross body. Blair recently made a new PAK in grey suede and I definitely want it too. It's a good thing I didn't have any daughters.... I don't think I could stand to share my closet!

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Oh and these girls?..... most of these pictures wouldn't be here if it weren't for them! They demanded I put them on the blog... ;) Thanks Gab and Christy for being not only great photographers, but friends too!

Whether you are hosting an ice cream party, or need a fun gift, this basket is full of everything you could possibly need for an Ice Cream social. Start by picking up a basket at your local Home goods, or of course Target! Maybe you even have one laying around. You don't necessarily even need to use a basket. A colorful plastic tub, or wire basket will work too. Most everything in the basket can be picked up at Super Target too.

Fill the bottom of the basket with scrunched up tissue to add a little padding and height to the smaller items. Start at the back of the basket with the larger boxes and your ice cream cups and work your way forward. Once you have the larger items in place add the jars of caramel, fudge sauce, sprinkles and cherries. In cellophane gift bags, place a good amount of candy to be used for the toppings in them and tie them up with a colorful ribbon. Do the same with your peanuts and chocolate chips. Start tucking the bags of candies and toppings in the basket around the larger items and jars. Split the cups into two stacks and place one in each front corner. Tuck the scoop in you're done.

This makes a great gift for a pool party, slumber party or how about your block party or holiday Bar-B-Que. Where ever you decide to take it... rest assured it will be a big hit! just don't forget the Ice Cream!!

I went out on a limb recently. Well, at least for me it was. I decided I wanted to have a color on my nails rather than my oh so typical and standard French manicure. It's always safe and goes with everything.

What is funny to this story is when I sat down for my usual nail appointment and sat the polish down, he looked at me in confusion and asked what that was for? When I told him I wanted to paint them he chuckled and said I would not keep it on. After all, he does do my nails and pretty much knows what I will and wont stand for. To his surprise I was still wearing it two weeks later. I have had overlays for over 20 years so the thought of changing is just not something I can wrap my head around. I am so use to having the strength that the overlay gives my nails I would most undoubtedly not last long with them off. Trust me, I tried it a time or two only to last less than three days. I have been eyeing polish colors and have rounded up a few fun and spring colors that maybe... just maybe.... I can branch right on out to! But if not, I will stick with my current favorite #6 Teddy Girl by Butter .

I have a confession to make. I bought this dress back in September before my trip to Minnesota and this is the first time I have worn it. I don't know what took me so long to pull this outfit together. Do you have things you have purchased and have left them hanging in your closet? I was thinking I would pair it up with my leopard pumps but it was super chilly on this day and my legs are not ready for the cold. I am loving the pop of hot pink! My short booties went well with it and I also think I might try my tall brown boots too? What do you think? The sad part is... it is still cold enough to still be wearing sweater dresses and boots! Ugh! At least I am not in Boston.

When I said last week I wanted a varsity sweater in every color I wasn't joking! It is such a versatile item and you can dress it business casual like I shared here, or dress it down like below. Either way it is such a comfy and fun sweater, I just wish the pink wasn't sold out in my size!

In other news... I am finally at a point where I can start decorating my guest room. My son finally moved out of it last month and I pretty much have a blank slate. I won't need to repaint thank heavens, but I do need some ideas for what color scheme I want. So the fun begins. Once again I will make colorful pillows. I am scouring the internet for ideas for rugs, poufs, and decor items. I have a few things picked out already, but I am holding off until I get a better picture in my mind of the design. I can't wait to start... I love a good project! Oh and speaking of projects I started....I have had several people ask when I was sharing my master bedroom. I will be getting those pictures taken of the room and get them up for you as soon as possible.

Last weekend in Kansas City we had phenomenal weather, and I was fortunate enough to spent my
afternoon enjoying it down in the River Market. The River Market event space with its wide open garage doors lend itself for the perfect venue for an afternoon with friends and flowers.

Emily, a fellow KC Blogger Meetup board member is also a talented floral designer amongst other things. The Bloom Academy - an online floral course - is her latest venture. She offers in addition to her online portion local workshops throughout the year. Gosh I am glad I am local! Take a peek at the afternoon of friends and flowers.

The afternoon was spent with beautiful flowers and beautiful friends. We mingled and enjoyed sweet bites and beverages. Emily then spent the first portion of the class giving instructions, tips, and tricks to beautiful arrangements.

And then..... she let us loose. I thought I was pretty good at floral arranging.... but I learned so much more then I ever expected and am so glad I attended and plan on going to more of her workshops.

You seriously should look into her next class, or sign up to become a member and you receive exclusive details to making your home blossom!

We received individual time with Emily to answer any questions we may have and to offer any pointers to the arrangements we were creating! Here is my arrangement. I'm pretty darn pleased.

I'm excited to make my next arrangement with all my new tips I learned.

For this weeks how to Tuesday I am talking all about mixing things up. Whether you have a go-to color combination (mine just happens to be pink and anything)... or crushing the Pantone 2015 color Marsala an earthy wine red color, or you simply enjoy sticking to the classics, you can become a Closet Mixologist! By following some simple color rules you can help yourself create an effortless-looking outfit in no time.

There are three levels to pattern mixing or "Closet Mixology" so you can find your own comfort level by starting off easy and working your way into the next level.

For the Beginners ~ The easiest way to begin mixing prints is to simply replace your solid colored top with a monochromatic pattern in that same color.

For the Intermediates ~ Once you've replaced your navy top with a navy polka dot top, try mixing two prints with one unifying color.

For the Master Mixers ~ After you've mastered coordinating two patterns with one color, try adding one more. The easiest way to add a third pattern is by adding a monochromatic or neutral pattern. Oftentimes, my "neutral" is leopard.Here are some examples of how I pattern mix. See how I start simple with a pattern pant, and a smaller pattern on my bag mixed with a analogous color blouse and my wedges act as my neutral.

Remember these pants from last week I paired with my varsity sweater, well here they are again this time with stripes.

Below are some examples of my pattern mixing outfits I have shared with you.

Closet Mixology Rules: (I use the term "rules" loosely.)

#1 Leopard is always a neutral (As well as black, white and gray)

#2 Vary the size and scale of your prints (You DO NOT want two large prints - you will look like a hot mess!)

#3 Two patterns is easy, three is perfect, four if you dare but please stop there!

#4 Use a grounding unified color when combining two multi-colored patterns. (Ex: Orange is the dominate color in both prints, then opt for a skinny solid orange belt or a solid pump. Match the color, not the pattern.)

#5 These rules don't just apply to your closet.... branch out into your living room or

bedroom and have some fun decorating.

#6 Keep a printout of the color wheel in your closet as a reference.#7 Most importantly, have fun with your closet!

The first thing I loved about this sweater was the bold neon stripe. I never even imagined it would be the same neon in my fave Ann Taylor floral pants. It was a match made for sure. If you don't own a pair of floral pants you need to own a pair. They go with so much. I have always owned at least one pair of floral pants. Right now I think I have three different pairs. I remember one time while in Vegas my pants actually matching the colors in the casino carpet. That is colorful!! One of the other things I love about this varsity sweater is it is navy instead of black.

And did you notice my new monogram tote? Have you heard of Grateful Bags? If you love a good monogram then you definitely need to hop over to their site and take a look around. They have the cutest clutches and I love the new cork design. The monogram is interchangeable between bags which opens up all sorts of color combinations. I carry a tote almost every single day to the office. Sometimes I actually carry two. Joe swears I have a bag problem.... ummm yeah!!! I love a good tote! TGIF!